Reliability & 5-year cost of ownership — 2005 Honda Element
NHTSA data on file today
The 2005 Honda Element has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns and 159 owner complaints on file as of . Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.
Recall campaigns on file
- NHTSA #19V501000 Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #19V499000 Driver Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #19V182000 Driver Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Explode NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #17V029000 Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Rupture NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #16V344000 Passenger Frontal Air Bag Inflator May Rupture NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #15V320000 Driver's Frontal Air Bag May Rupture NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #11V395000 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #09E025000 FMVSS 108/REPLACEMENT HEADLAMPS/AMBER REFLECTOR NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #09E012000 FMVSS 108/AFTERMARKET COMBINATION LAMPS NHTSA notice
- NHTSA #05E035000 DEALER ACCESSORY TRAILER HARNESS KIT NHTSA notice
Most-cited components in owner complaints
- Air Bags 76 complaints
- Electrical System 16 complaints
- Suspension 13 complaints
- Seats 12 complaints
- Visibility 12 complaints
- Engine and Engine Cooling 9 complaints
Of the 159 complaints on file, 13 report a crash and 5 a fire; across all 159 complaints, owners report 19 injuries (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).
Average
Estimated 5-year repair + maintenance cost: $3,500–$7,000AI estimate — not from NHTSA data
The 2005 Honda Element has frequent airbag recalls, particularly affecting the frontal driver and passenger inflator modules. While these issues are significant, they are largely recall-covered, leaving typical owners with a manageable maintenance load. Non-recall issues are less common and generally affordable to repair.
Most-common failures
| Part | Typical mileage (AI estimate) | Cost range (AI estimate) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag system | Any mileage | No reliable estimate | very common |
| Transmission bearing | 60,000–100,000 miles | $500–$1,200 | common |
| Exterior lighting | Any mileage | $100–$250 | occasional |
AI estimate — not from NHTSA data: the mileage bands and repair-cost ranges above. Get a written repair quote before you budget.
Scheduled maintenance to budget
Routine items every owner should plan for.
- Oil and filter changes
- Brake pad replacement
- Transmission fluid change
- Tire rotation and balance
- Coolant system flush
- Spark plug replacement
- Air filter replacement
Warning signs to watch for
Symptoms that signal a major upcoming repair.
- Lit transmission warning light
- Abnormal transmission noises
- Non-functional brake lights
- Headlight dimming
- Inconsistent turn signals
Generated by gpt-4o on from the NHTSA recall campaigns and owner-complaint counts on file for the 2005 Honda Element at the time. The rating is an AI assessment; cost and mileage figures are AI estimates, not NHTSA data.